Rhubarb Snacking Cake

Sister has been making this cake like weekly since rhubarb came in season.  She was telling me how much Chris likes it even though he’s not normally that interested in baked goods.  So I knew I needed to try it.  We’re a big fan of rhubarb pie in this household, but our usual pie is pretty sweet, so I was hoping for a different way of displaying the wonderful flavors of rhubarb.

This cake does an excellent job of highlighting rhubarb.  The cake is fluffy and moist, the rhubarb is tart and flavorful turning into a creamy center layer, and then it’s topped with just the right amount of crumble, giving it just a hint of brown sugar and cinnamon that doesn’t overwhelm the light tart rhubarb.  This will definitely be another go-to recipe when rhubarb is in season.  You can also halve the recipe and bake it in an 8″x8″ pan if you don’t want to have quite so much.

Rhubarb Snacking Cake

Serves 18 at least

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Cake:

• 4 cups rhubarb, sliced
• 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/3 cup sour cream (I only had Greek yogurt on hand, so that’s what I used)

Crumb:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Spray your 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper leaving enough paper hanging over the edges so you can use that to pull the cake out of the pan when it’s done.

Stir together rhubarb, 2/3 cup sugar, and lemon juice; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, the remaining 2/3 sugar, and the lemon zest until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until well combined.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger in a small bowl.  Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stir until just combined.  Add half the sour cream, stirring until just combined.  Alternate with the remaining flour and yogurt, ending with the flour and making sure to stir until just combined.

Spread the batter into your prepared baking dish in an even layer.  Pour the rhubarb mixture over the top of the cake, spreading into an even layer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Use a fork to stir in the melted butter until a crumb forms.  Spread the crumb evenly over the top of the rhubarb.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Rhubarb Drop Scones

These scones were delicious, although “scone” might not be an accurate name for them.  Scones tend to be denser and these were very light and almost fluffy.  They’re also not very sweet, so if you like sweeter treats feel free to add more sugar.  But I thought these were just perfect with a bit of lemon honey butter, or a drizzle of plain honey.

Strawberry Rhubarb Drop Scones

Makes about 12 large scones

Adapted from The Kitchen Ninja

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups mixture of finely chopped strawberries and rhubarb (about 8 large strawberries and 1 large rhubarb stalk)
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Cut in the butter and olive oil until mixture has a sandy texture.  Mix in the fruit.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, and buttermilk until well combined.  Pour into the large bowl and mix well.

Drop large spoonfuls (about 1/4 cup) of batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 20-22 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden and the top is set.  Allow scones to cool completely on a wire rack.

Lemon Honey Butter

• 6 Tbsp butter, room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 Tbsp honey
• 1/4-1/2 lemon zested

Whisk all ingredients together.  Adjust sweetness to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chamomile Tea Cakes

These tea cakes are a delicate, light, and sweet treat.  They’re perfect for a a little snack with your tea or coffee!

I found chamomile at my local Asian market (Hmart), but if you can’t find it you can use chamomile tea bags.  The chamomile I found was full of large pieces, so I’d recommend crushing them up before using.

Chamomile Tea Cakes

Makes 24 mini-cupcakes

Adapted from Joy the Baker

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp dried chamomile, crushed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Line a mini-muffin pan with liners (I don’t normally do this, but these cakes are very delicate, so I’d recommend it).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chamomile.  Beat until mixture is slightly course and sandy, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla.  Pour half of the milk mixture into the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated.  Pour the remaining milk mixture in and then turn up the speed on your mixer until batter is well blended, no more than a minute.

Divide the batter into the mini-muffin tins.

Bake for about 10-14 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing.

Sprinkle with powder sugar and serve with a cup of tea.

Savory Rosemary Parmesan Shortbread

I’ve wanted to try this recipe for ages.  As soon as I saw it, I thought it would be an awesome combination.  I was not disappointed.  These shortbreads have an amazing buttery taste even though there’s no butter.  The rosemary and parmesan are a great match.

These are perfect as a snack, a fun appetizer, a great accompaniment to a salad, and/or a great pairing with drinks.

Savory Rosemary Parmesan Shortbread 

Makes 30

Adapted from The Kitchn

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp chopped rosemary
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups freshly grated parmesan
• sea salt for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place the oats in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the water over it.  In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, brown sugar and egg.  Pour the mixture over the oats, stir to combine and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, rosemary, and black pepper.  Whisk to combine, then stir in the parmesan.

Gradually stir the flour mixture into the oat mixture.

Scoop the batter onto greased or parchment paper covered cookie sheets (they don’t spread out a lot so you should be able to fit them all on two pans).  Flatten the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle a little flakey sea salt over each shortbread.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, until set and starting to turn golden.

Snickerdoodle Biscotti

Biscotti is an excellent coffee snack.  These snickerdoodle biscotti bring the cinnamon-sugar flavor of a snickerdoodle cookie and combine it with the crunchy tasty log of a biscotti.  Dip these in your coffee (or milk or hot chocolate) and you have the perfect mid-morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up treat!

Snickerdoodle Biscotti

makes about 20 biscotti

Adapted from Everything’s Coming Up Daffodils

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg white (for brushing)

Preheat oven 325°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and egg yolk.  Beat in the vanilla extract.

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.  Divide the dough in two and shape each half into an 8″ x 3″ rectangle on a greased cookie sheet.

Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.  Brush egg white onto the biscotti dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 35 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.  Remove from the oven and slice rectangles into 10-12 pieces.  Lay each biscotti cut side down on the pan and bake for an additional 8 minutes on each side.

Allow to cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

Creamy Green Pea Dip

In addition to the Asian Cabbage Salad, Homemade Pita, and Edamame Dip I made this Creamy Green Pea Dip.

I loved the smooth, slightly sweet taste of this dip.  It gets a little kick from the jalapeno, but isn’t spicy.  This would also make an excellent cold pasta sauce.  With the addition of silken tofu it adds some extra protein to your meal.  And as my mother always told me growing up, the peas will make your eyelashes curly!

Creamy Green Pea Dip

Serves 20-22, makes about 4 cups

Adapted from The Kitchn

• 1 container (20 oz) silken tofu, drained
• 1 bag (16oz) frozen peas, defrosted
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 2 scallions, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Edamame Dip

This Edamame Dip was a great addition to Saturday’s Women’s Retreat.  Edamame (soy beans) are an excellent source of protein and with flavorful ingredients like sesame oil, siracha, and lemons, it makes a tasty snack!  This would also make an excellent spread for a sandwich!

Edamame Dip

Serves 22

Adapted from La Fuji Mama

• 2 (16oz) bags shelled frozen edamame
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 red onion, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp siracha
• 4 lemons, 2 zested and the juice of all 4

Allow edamame to thaw, or run hot water over frozen edamame until thawed.

Combine all ingredients in the food processor and pulse until mixture is mostly smooth, or until at the desired consistency.  Mix in batches if necessary.

Scrape dip into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.  Mix well before serving and check seasoning.  Serve with crudites, rice crackers, chips, or pita.

Banana-Pecan Biscotti

I love banana bread.  It’s delicious and moist and reminds me of my grandma.  The problem with banana bread is that you need 3 bananas, sometimes you don’t have 3 extra ripe bananas.  So when I have 2 almost-too-disgusting-to-look-at bananas I make Banana Cookies.  But when you just have one, I recommend these Banana-Pecan Biscotti.

These biscotti get pretty crunchy, so I’d definitely dunk them in your favorite coffee or hot chocolate (I think that’d be DELICIOUS).  They also have a little chewiness to them from the banana.  They really are delicious, and perfect for an afternoon snack, or impressing overnight guests.  Homemade biscotti totally sounds impressive and yet it’s really not that hard to prepare.

Banana-Pecan Biscotti

Makes about 16

Adapted from here

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 mashed very ripe banana
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spread pecans on baking sheet and stick in the oven while it’s preheating.  Stir once halfway through, when the oven has finished preheating the pecans should be toasted.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl, mash the banana and mix in oil, vanilla, and the egg; pour into the dry ingredients.  Add chopped pecans and mix well.  (It seems like there’s too much flour, but keep mixing and it will all come together)

Grease a baking sheet, separate dough in half and form each half into an 8″ log about 1/2″ thick on the baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Cut each log diagonally into at least 8 slices.  Place slices cut side down on the baking sheet and bake for another 8 minutes.  Flip pieces over and bake for 8 more minutes.

Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool on a wire rack.  Serve with coffee or hot chocolate.  Would also be delicious with a drizzle of melted chocolate on top.

Feta & Sun Dried Tomato Quinoa Cups

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter and/or a lovely Sunday!

At my church we have a potluck Easter breakfast before the service.  It’s a wonderful time to have a bit more conversation with people and enjoy good food together.

After much debate, Mom and I agreed that I would make vegetarian quinoa cups and two Blueberry Coffee Cakes (even though I’d just made it for church a week or two ago).  We didn’t need that much coffee cake as it turns out, but let’s be honest, I never know how much food to make for a crowd!

I also recently made these with roasted mushrooms instead of the bell pepper, also delicious but more risky since there seem to be a lot of mushroom-haters out there.

Feta & Sun Dried Tomato Quinoa Cups

Makes 24 mini cups (plus 1 ramekin)

Adapted from Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups (originally from Iowa Girl Eats)

•  2 cups cooked quinoa* (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
• 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 green onions, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  In a greased (or nonstick), mini-muffin pan, spoon mixture into each cup (fill to top, as these don’t rise).  Bake for 20 minutes, until edges are beginning to brown and the center is set.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing to a cooling rack.  Store in the refrigerator, reheat in microwave for 30 seconds.

*To cook quinoa, rinse in a fine mesh sieve, then place in pot with twice as much water as quinoa and about 1 tsp of salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed.  (If you’re too lazy to rinse the quinoa, like me, you can put it in the pan and toast it briefly on medium-high heat before adding the water.  The rinsing is supposed to remove whatever makes quinoa taste slightly acidic/bitter.  I’ve never really noticed/had a problem with it when I just toast the quinoa.  Do what feels right to you!)

Granola bars: fuel for when you’re on the move

Last Thursday my friend, Elan, and I went for a hike up Sugarloaf Mountain. It was a gorgeous day!  This hike was just the kick in the butt I needed to finally getting around to making some more granola bars.  Granola bars aren’t challenging to make, but it’s so much harder to get around to making snack items than it is to try a new dish for dinner (at least for me).

So since I was making granola bars, I decided to make two batches.  One Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and the other is what I call a Cobbler Granola Bar because it has dried fruit in it and for some reason it tastes like cobbler to me!  Because these mix-ins are rather sweet already, I limited the amount of honey I put in and my bars ended up being rather crumbly.  Next time I’ll add another egg or at least another egg white to help bind it more (I’ve made this change in the recipes below).  I also ended up using almond meal (almond flour) instead of whole wheat flour because it’s what I had on hand.  Almond flour has twice as much protein as regular flour, so I thought I’d try it.  I didn’t notice much of a taste difference.

I really like freezing the bars and then just heating them up in the toaster oven when I want to eat one.  I’m sure you could microwave them too.

Cobbler Granola Bars

Makes about 10 bars

Adapted from Buns In My Oven

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (or almond meal or all-purpose)
• 3/4 cup dried fruits (I use a berry mix from Trader Joes)
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup wheat germ (or ground flax seed)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 9″x13″ baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.  Pour the wet mixture in the dry and mix well with a fork (or your clean hands).

Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and press into the pan.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes if you want chewy granola bars, or 20-25 minutes for crunchy.  When the edges start to brown, remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before cutting with a sharp knife.  Allow bars to finish cooling completely before removing from the pan.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Makes about 10 bars

Adapted from Buns In My Oven

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (or almond meal or all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup wheat germ (or ground flax seed)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 9″x13″ baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.  Pour the wet mixture in the dry and mix well with a fork (or your clean hands).

Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and press into the pan.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes if you want chewy granola bars, or 20-25 minutes for crunchy.  When the edges start to brown, remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before cutting with a sharp knife.  Allow bars to finish cooling completely before removing from the pan.